Riu Montego Bay

The front desk staff was warm and welcoming they made our stay possible

My wife and I finally took the honeymoon we never had after getting married during COVID. We booked our stay through RIU Vacations and were excited to spend several days at RIU Montego Bay.

Unfortunately, airline issues delayed our arrival by two days. We immediately contacted RIU Vacations each time there was a disruption and were repeatedly assured that they would work with us once we arrived at the resort. Based on those assurances, we adjusted our return flights and continued with our trip.

Once we arrived, however, the story changed.

We spent a large portion of what should have been our honeymoon making phone calls, being transferred between departments, speaking with supervisors, and receiving conflicting information. We were told the hotel wasn’t responding, while hotel staff indicated they had not received the communications RIU Vacations claimed were sent.

The most disappointing part was not the airline delays. Travel problems happen. The disappointment came from being repeatedly told that RIU Vacations would work with us, only to arrive and find ourselves fighting for answers and a resolution.

To be clear, the staff at the resort have been friendly, professional, and helpful throughout our stay. My complaint is not with the hotel employees. My complaint is with RIU Vacations and the lack of follow-through after multiple assurances that our situation would be addressed.

Case Number: 33944730

I hope management reviews this situation and improves communication between RIU Vacations and its resorts so future guests do not have to spend their vacation dealing with the same frustration.

The positives: I traveled with a group of young women, and we appreciated that the hotel was affordable, generally clean, and conveniently located near the airport and local activities. The rooms were spacious, we liked the alcohol dispensers in the rooms, and the food was decent. The buffet was actually better than what we’ve experienced at many other all-inclusive resorts.

The negatives outweighed the positives. Despite being advertised as a party resort, there was often no music, and the pool music was usually turned off by 4 PM, leaving many guests complaining that the resort was boring. We were also shocked that most buildings had no elevators. Most concerning, my roommates and I returned one evening to find our room doors wedged open and small amounts of cash stolen. Security blamed us for not using the safes, informed us there were no hallway cameras, and seemed uninterested in addressing our concerns. The only investigation they could do was check the door keypad records. The entire situation made us feel unsafe and unsupported. For safety reasons, YOU SHOULD CHOOSE ANOTHER HOTEL!